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Today in the 3-Bet we find Xuan Liu on the cover of Cat Fancy the next edition of WPT Magazine, Faraz Jaka shutting his pipes down on a 10-day Buddhist retreat and Jean-Robert Bellande getting the gears for his first-round fumble in the $25k NBC Heads-Up Championship.
1) Xuan Liu Pushing Chinese Poker on WPT Cover
We're big Xuan Liu fans here at PokerListings and wholeheartedly agree with her spot on the WPT's Ones to Watch list.
We also wholeheartedly agree she's a very worthy cover girl, and that's what's up next month for the latest edition of WPT Magazine.
Liu announced the cover in a new blog post and says there will be a distinctly Eastern motif in lieu of the latest WPT push into China:
"I’ll probably be wearing a green strapless dress with my phonetic name in an Oriental-inspired font and my Chinese name attached horizontally on the side. Hopefully this will be just as good for the poker world as it will be for my self-esteem and my family’s honour. I hope my arms won’t look fat.
"I know poker in Asia has been trying to expand for some time now, but I sincerely believe that 2013 will be a huge year for the game in China. I missed WPT China in Hainan in December, but I have been brushing up on my Mandarin skills in preparation for the market to break through."
Read the full post here.
2) Faraz Jaka Going Silent on Buddhist Retreat
We're also big fans of Faraz Jaka here and were heavy-hearted after his first-round exit yesterday in the NBC Heads-Up.
Everyone knows big hair makes for endearing TV. He also happens to be a super funny, positive guy with crazy good poker skills, so it would have been great to see him go deep.
Still, things aren't so bad for Jaka. He's on his way to the Aussie Millions, he told PocketFives, followed by a 10-day, no-talking Buddhist retreat in Thailand:
"I'm flying to the Aussie Millions to play what's probably my favorite poker event of the year. Then, I'm going to Thailand and staying in a Buddhist monastery for 10 days where I'm not allowed to speak the entire time.
“I have always been interested in Buddhism and mediation, so I just reached out to some friends who are into the same and got some recommendations for places people have been to in the past. It's a meditation retreat.
“I like to keep myself busy and work hard, but I think it's important to do the exact opposite and just spend some time appreciating the simple things in life...”
Read the full interview here.
3) Jean-Robert Booted by Qualifier, Mocked
Depending on how you look at it, perennial poker whipping boy Jean-Robert Bellande had either the best or worst first-round draw in the $25k NBC Heads-Up Championship.
Drawing WSOP.com qualifier Bruce Miller, it looked like JRB was a big favorite to at least make the second round before things got tough. JRB wasn't convinced it was all that great a draw, though:
If vs @erik_seidel or @philivey, I'd have nothing to lose but I find myself surprisingly nervous playing qualifier Bruce Miller#brokechoke
— Jean-Robert Bellande (@BrokeLivingJRB) January 24, 2013Fulfilling his own prophecy, @BrokeLivingJRB went down quickly and quietly in Round 1. As expected, as his inclusion in the event was questioned to begin with, the JRB haters rained down the vitriol:
Haters enjoy. Super frustrated. I thought I played great. Couldn't fade the runner runner flush or all-in w top vs his f draw#brokechoke
— Jean-Robert Bellande (@BrokeLivingJRB) January 25, 2013Wow @brokelivingjrb BR-$10,000, pride gone, losing to Bruce Miller...priceless.
— charles sells (@garagepoker) January 25, 2013@randompoker @brokelivingjrb ha ha that's cause your fucking rubbish!
— Dan Wallace (@wallace_dan) January 25, 2013To top it off, he promptly got fleeced by Tom Dwan in Open-Face Chinese Poker:
My 1st time trying fantasy land & @tomdwan presents me with..I swear I can't even count that effen high#brokechoketwitter.com/BrokeLivingJRB…
— Jean-Robert Bellande (@BrokeLivingJRB) January 25, 2013Poor JRB. Can't win for losing. More tweets from the NBC Heads-Up here.
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